Siobhan Lawrence PM.Dip is a key part of DL Accounts – the business founded by her husband Dexter in 2007. A career journey that began in finance, via time as a primary school teacher has now shifted to payroll and today Siobhan manages around 150 payroll clients while studying towards her next professional qualification and helping shape the future of the business. Here’s how she does it.
Finding her role in the family business
Siobhan studied accounts payable and accounts at college before a manufacturing business in Cornwall before retraining as a primary school teacher. She and Dexter met in 2010 and helped in the business alongside her own career. Then her mother, who managed payroll for DL Accounts, decided to retire.
At the same time, changes at Siobhan's own workplace prompted a conversation with Dexter about whether she could take on payroll.
“I suggested to Dexter that I could become the payroll director, and he encouraged me to consider it. That conversation led to me leaving my previous role and taking on payroll and pensions for the business.”
Three to four years later, Siobhan manages payroll alongside her bookkeeping responsibilities, with around 150 weekly, fortnightly and monthly payroll clients.
Investing in professional development
Taking on a bigger role in the practice also prompted Siobhan to develop her professional skills. She completed the ICB Payroll Diploma and is now continuing her studies towards Level 4.
“I wanted to build my knowledge and make sure I had the right professional foundation for the work I was taking on.”
Her commitment to learning is also becoming part of the firm's approach to developing its team. DL Accounts supports staff through professional qualifications and CPD, and is now looking to ICB as another route for developing its bookkeeping team.
Its next new team member is preparing to begin ICB training.
“We want to make sure our bookkeepers have a strong professional foundation and the opportunity to keep developing their skills. ICB is going to be an important part of that for us.”
Growing a business around good bookkeeping
DL Accounts now has eight team members and around 400 clients. Its flagship Peace of Mind package provides an end-to-end service, including bookkeeping and compliance, giving small businesses ongoing support rather than simply dealing with their accounts at year end.
The practice has also introduced a lower-cost compliance package as clients have become more conscious of costs.
But Siobhan remains clear about the value of getting the fundamentals right.
“Bookkeeping is the most important part because if the bookkeeping is wrong, the management accounts and the advice we provide will also be wrong.”
Technology with people at the centre
Technology has played a major role in the firm's growth. DL Accounts began preparing for Making Tax Digital several years before it became mandatory, moving its clients onto digital systems early. That preparation proved valuable during COVID, when the practice picked up around 70 to 80 new clients in three months.
The firm is now exploring AI, but Siobhan sees it as a tool to support professional expertise rather than replace it.
“AI is something we need to embrace, but it has to be implemented carefully. We introduce one change, make sure it works properly, and then build on it.”
“We are never going to replace the expertise we bring to our clients. The opportunity is to use technology to make our processes more efficient, while giving us more time to focus on the advice and support that clients really value.”
From two clients to a team of eight, 400 clients and a growing presence across Cornwall, DL Accounts has come a long way.
For Siobhan, the journey has been about much more than joining the family business. It has been about developing her own professional skills, finding a role that suits her strengths and helping to build a practice that can support its clients and its people for the future.